Residents protest city's planned water shut-offs

Water is a Human Right Community activists gather at City Hall to protest the city's plan to shut off water to 25,000 customers.

A couple of dozen protesters rallied outside City Hall on Monday to call on officials to reverse a decision to begin turning off service for water customers who are behind on their bills. Sharon Black, a Waverly woman who helped organize the protest, called on the city to delay any water shut-offs. The protesters want the City Council to investigate the reasons why the delinquent water customers are late in paying.

"We're in a state of shock and outrage," said Black, an activist with the People's Power Assembly. "People aren't paying their water bills, because they can't afford to."

The Department of Public Works announced last week that the agency will begin to shut off water to customers who owe at least $250 on bills that date back at least half a year. Officials said the service likely will be cut off within 10 days after a customer receives a notice. An estimated turnoff date will be included in the mailing.

The city will begin cutting off service Wednesday. Notices are being sent to about 25,000 delinquent customers.

The customers — who owe a combined $40 million in long-overdue bills — include both residential and commercial users. About half of the city's 400,000 water customers are in Baltimore County.

City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young said the action is a necessary step that could help the city avoid future water rate increases. He said the city offers help to seniors and others who can't afford to pay for water.

"People who are having a hard time, we have programs for them," Young said.

As for the others, he said: "We have to pay our bills. They have to pay theirs as well."

But Black urged the city to slow down. She also called on the public works department to release a breakdown of the businesses with unpaid water bills.

"It's inhumane and harmful," she said. "They need to find out why people have not paid."

Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke said she wants to find a way to ensure city officials are available to help residents fill out applications for assistance and work out payments plans to avoid losing water service.

"You have to feed your kids and pay rent," she said. "A lot of households pick and choose what they can pay for."

Matt Hill, an attorney with the Public Justice Center, said his organization is "very concerned" that tenants will go without water because landlords don't pay their bills. He called the city's threat to shut off water for unpaid bills "inequitable and unconscionable."

"It's very common for a tenant to have a dispute with their landlord over a water bill," Hill said. "The water bill is always in the landlord's name, and tenants cannot challenge disputed water bills."

Hill said the city should first go after businesses with unpaid bills, not residents.

"If most of the debt is owned by commercial properties, why would they get the white glove treatment?" he asked. "Did Baltimore City not learn anything from Detroit?"

Last year, Detroit officials were heavily criticized after shutting off water for thousands of residents. Tiffani Ashley Bell, who founded a nonprofit there that she said allows people to donate to help impoverished Detroiters, said she is launching a similar project in Baltimore.

Bell has founded the Baltimore Water Project, which declares that "water is a human right." The site pairs donors with those who are in need of paying a water bill in Baltimore, Bell said.

Bell said her organization has raised nearly $200,000 to pay for impoverished people's water bills in Detroit, and hopes to provide similar help here.

"It's been pretty crazy in Detroit," she said. "We've heard of people who have gone for a year without water."

Economic and Social Justice Calls

The team explores the concept, economic theories and realities of achieving Full Employment in the current economy. Guests include Conor Williams, the secretary of the Transitional Jobs Collaborative in Milwaukee and Michael Darner, Executive Director of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Listen to this month's call led by Jim Carpenter as we discuss the state of our current economy, the impact of poor economic choices, and the other factors that play into the declining situation around the country, and in the world in this open and guided conversation.

PDAction Board Member Donald Whitehead, and former Ex. Dir. of the Coalition for the Homeless leads the discussion on homelessness, with input from Joel Segal, PDAmerica founding member and National Director of the Justice Action Mobilization Network. Special focus is given to the housing crisis, the role of the banks, programs used by other countries to alleviate the problem, as well as the fact that women are the most adversely affected by this issue. H Con Res 98 - Resolve to Eliminate Homelessness - has been introduced in Congress by Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12) and is endorsed on this call.